Photographing Aurora

Normally warmer than February, March usually brings many nights of clear sky and northern lights. It is a good time to try your hand at auroral photography.

Use a camera with a lens of f/3.5 or faster and one which permits time exposures. For color photographs, Kodak Hi-Speed Ektachrome is best; for black and while, Kodak Tri-X or any relatively fast panchromatic film works well.

Even with a fast lens and sensitive film, time exposures of a few seconds are necessary, so it is essential to use a tripod to hold the camera steady. Try taking a series of different time exposures, ranging from about 3 sec to 15 sec to gain experience with your camera. With practice you can then alter the exposure depending upon the auroral brightness to get good pictures.

Photographing the aurora is a real challenge, but with luck you will get a few pleasing pictures the first time you try.